Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I love learning but it wasn't always easy for me! I found I have a talent for making content relatable whether it's with students or with teachers. I can read people pretty well and am not afraid to be vulnerable in the classroom. I make people feel comfortable and confident so they can struggle through hard lessons and leave becoming better critical thinking and self reflect on learning to make it applicable. I love when you can see those connections happening!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I work with our athletes and their academics and will often tutor them when their grades slip. Kids are always looking for the easy way out but they know when they come to me I'm going to make them LEARN it. One student in particular was working on an essay, so I broke everything down from reading the articles and annotating for source data to organizing the paragraphs. He felt so smart when he actually wrote that paper and I knew he could now do it on his own in the future!

What would you do with the $25,000?

$25,000 can ALWAYS help a lot with bills but it would also give me a chance to take my family on a vacation. Teachers put so much of themselves into their position, it can leave them depleted for their own family so having fun quality time with them would be amazing! In addition, it would be nice to help out others who are close to me and need support as well!